Epson Expression Photo XP-970 review

Go large without piling on the pounds with Epson’s ‘small-in-one’ 13-inch printer, the Epson Expression Photo XP-970

Epson Expression Photo XP-970 review
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

If twice as big is twice as good, this new Epson A3 photo printer beats its smaller XP-8600 A4 sibling. It delivers double the maximum print area but remains reasonably compact, lightweight and easily manageable. All of the plus points of the smaller printer are retained but, when you see A3 and A4 photo prints side by side, the XP-970 has a clear advantage. Bigger really is better.

Pros

  • +

    Vibrant A3 glossy photo output

  • +

    Individually replaceable ink cartridges

  • +

    Built-in scanner

Cons

  • -

    Optional ‘XL’ ink cartridges are still fairly low-capacity

  • -

    Lacks the color range of most A3+ models

  • -

    Maximum output size is smaller than A3+

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Epson and Canon both make A3+ printers which give an upscaled photo printing opportunity of 13x19 inches. As an A3 printer, the maximum size that the Epson Expression Photo XP-970 can deliver is 11.69x16.54 inches, which is noticeably smaller, and a worse fit for the aspect ratio of most cameras. Even so, an A3 print nevertheless has twice the surface area of an A4 print, and is a much more suitable size if you want to frame your photos and hang them on the wall.

A note for our US readers: A4 prints are similar to 'letter size', while A3 prints are similar to 'Tabloid' or 'Ledger'.

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.